When we first met John, life in an assisted living care home was a struggle. Being deaf and autistic, John relied on writing things down to communicate. When he arrived in a busy shared space where conversations moved quickly, he was often left struggling to be understood.
John couldn’t hear the conversations around him, and when his written notes weren’t understood, frustration built on all sides. Voices raised, tempers flared and other residents began to avoid these situations altogether. Slowly, John found himself more and more on his own, isolated in the place that was meant to feel like home.
Things began to change once we started spending time in the home and getting to know the residents. Through our Community Voice programme, we set up a hearing loss group which residents could attend every fortnight.
As part of the group, we introduced British Sign Language. It wasn’t about learning everything at once, but about starting to give people a shared way to communicate.
John attended every fortnight. Learning was slow, and that was expected. He finds it difficult to focus at times, and had spent years relying on writing to communicate. But he stuck with it. Over time, he learned basic signs and began using them outside the group as well.
The group grew together. Members of the group began to understand each other better. Many of the residents, some of whom had never imagined learning a new language, embraced it fully. They practised together, learned songs in BSL, and supported one another. The hearing loss group even led to a reminiscence group, where residents shared memories and stories from their lives, and John was included in all of it.
The change in John has been clear. He is calmer and more settled. When he feels overwhelmed, he is more able to step away. Other residents have found their own ways to communicate with John, and everyday interactions feel easier.
Perhaps most importantly, people are seeing John for who he is. Friendly and thoughtful, never forgetting a birthday and making sure everyone gets a card. That side of John had always been there; it just needed the right support to be seen.